Movement was slow. There were many corners to stop and check. It appeared that the Imperials had finally been alerted to our presence, because they mounted a decent defense. I lost about 50% of my force before arriving at the lift that could take a few of us all the way to the bridge. It was at this time I called back for reinforcements, and a status update.
“Team One has found the weapons lockers and had minimal difficulty capturing it. They said that it would then take about 25 minutes for them to pack all they can carry and return. Meanwhile, it’s been somewhat quiet in the launch bay, sir. We had a few Imperials come in, but they didn’t last very long. I will be sending 25 more people to your location.”
The plan was being executed perfectly. I could not have hoped for anything better.
By the time the new men arrived, I had an idea. Rather than storm the bridge, which would prove too difficult given the size of the lift, I donned the uniform of an unfortunate Imperial officer. He had been shot in the leg once by a .22 caliber bullet, then but a blaster bolt to the face. It wasn’t pretty. I took the Baretta M9 and stuck it in the back of my belt, at the same time covering the top with my shirt.
As I stepped into the lift, an Alliance soldier gave me a quick rundown on its operation. It was not quite like any elevator on Earth. All I was worried about was the floor with the bridge, and the floor I was currently on. Before I left, I made sure I tested my ‘face of pain’ out on the men. I was in deep trouble if I walked in, covered in blood, and had a smile on my face.
I began the long trip up. I tried to mentally refine the story I would tell the Captain or Admiral or whoever was in command. I could feel the lift car slow. The doors opened.
“OWWWWWWW.” I yelled as I limped out the doors. I attracted the attention of the bridge crew. As they were turned towards me, I quickly scanned their rank insignia. I quickly found the largest number of red and blue squares, and began limping that direction. It was a Captain, like Briera.
I attempted to compose myself and saluted, “Sir. We have large numbers of Rebels moving on our positions. And we have a situation that, well its beyond words. I think it would be best if you came to look for yourself.”
I began to wince in pain again, hoping my acting would help to convince him that the situation was bad enough to warrant is investigation.
“Are you alright? Perhaps we should get you to the infirmary…”
I interrupted, “Its not necessary. I was able to stop the bleeding. Some of these Rebels have very high- powered slugthrowers. They are like nothing I have seen anywhere.”
“If I go with you, will you report to the medics as soon as I’ve seen this situation?”
“Of course sir.”
He bought it.
We walked over to the lift. He stepped in first, and I stood next to him and I selected the level. As soon we started moving, I turned to face him. In one smooth motion, I removed the Imperial hat with one hand, and reached behind my and into my belt for my pistol. Before he knew it, he was sucking the business end of the gun.
I quickly checked his person for comlinks and hidden weapons. He was clean.
“I’m going to say this once. You have the barrel of a Baretta M9 semi-automatic pistol shoved in your mouth. You do one thing to provoke me, and I will have no reservations about blowing your gray matter all over the back of this lift. Do you understand this?”
He quickly shook his head up and down.
“Excellent. Now, I plan to clarify a few things for you. You have 600 Rebel and Earth troops on your ship. There are an additional 1400 reserve troops waiting on a ship currently hidden from your sensors, plus potentially millions on the planet below. Your outbound communications are ionized, and the majority of your ground troops are being obliterated on the planet below. That left you vulnerable on this ship. Now, one way or another, I will capture this ship. You, though, can help decide how that is done. If you’re smart, you will surrender. You and your men will be given a number of choices as to what happens to them. If your not so smart, you resist, and we can do this all the hard way, with our elimination of everyone on board this ship.”
We had already arrived at the correct level of the Star Destroyer, but I was on a roll. I didn’t want to stop and lose my train of thought. Once I finished, I walked him out of the lift and removed the gun. Leaving all but four of the men behind to guard the lift, I returned, with the Captain, to the launch bay. Once there, he was allowed to move a little more freely.
“So, what are your terms of surrender, so I may decide my action?” the Captain asked.
“Terms. The terms are that you surrender this ship. No one more is killed, unless they put up significant resistance. All those on this ship are given the option of joining the Rebellion if they wish to. It is done anonymously, so that the Empire cannot prosecute them or their families. The rest will be turned over to the Rebellion, and they shall decide what is do be done.”
I thought for a second.
“Well, perhaps there is another option. I would have to speak with the governments of Earth, but we have something on our planet called ‘protective custody’. You are given a productive job and home, but every aspect of your life is carefully monitored. Who you talk to, who you know, what you do, and more. You would not be able to contact anyone off world, and in every way, you would essentially be starting new. I do not know how many of your people could be allowed to do this, but I guess it is a potential option.”
The Imperial declined that choice, something about living out the rest of his life with mentally inferior people. That was his choice really. He didn’t appear to be too happy about the other choice either, but he didn’t have anything else left.
It was at this point that I left the launch bay with a few soldiers and returned to the elevator. I was still wearing the dead Imperial’s uniform, but this time I had no plans of faking out anyone. I had left my equipment with the troops at the elevator, and reclaimed most of it for this assault. Five of us were able to squeeze onto the lift and we headed up. When the lift doors reopened, we moved out quickly, trying to cover as many targets as possible.
I announced, “Your Captain has been taken as a prisoner, and has accepted our terms of a peaceful surrender. I want no more killing on this ship, unless you give us unnecessary amounts of resistance, so I’m going to give you the chance to turn yourselves over peacefully. Drop all weapons and communications devices on the floor, place your hands on the backs of your heads, and come with us to the launch bay.”
Success! Everyone almost immediately came forward. I had three men take the bridge crew down the elevator to be taken to the launch bay. While they were gone, I looked for the ships internal communications system. At this point, it was safe to say the ship was ours. I planned to announce to the ships crew that we were in control and that terms had been reached for Imperial surrender.